IN  JAPAN. 

The  Situation  and  Oppor:tunities  for  Friends. 


WALTER  W.  HAVILAND. 


During  the  weeks  spent  in  Japan  by  William  H.  and  Julia 
Cope  Collins  and  myself,  as  members  of  the  “Delegation” 
from  the  Foreign  Missionary  Association  of  Friends  of  Phila- 
delphia, we  studied  carefully  and  conferred  constantly  with  our 
friends  there  concerning  the  present  situation  and  its  needs 
and  their  hopes  and  plans  for  the  future. 

We  gratefully  acknowledge  the  blessing  which  has  attended 
the  gradual  development  of  the  Japan  work,  from  its  beginning 
in  the  concern  of  a Friend  a generation  ago,  and  we  are  thank- 
ful for  the  faithful  devotion  of  the  comparatively  few  who 
have  carried  the  burden  of  the  work  in  their  hearts  and  on  their 
shoulders  during  the  years. 

The  situation  in  Japan  is  critical,  never  so  critical.  The 
leadership  of  y^ia  seems  to  be  in  her  hands.  The  forces  of 
reaction  and  of  progress  are  actively  working  against  each 
other.  On  the  one  hand  selfishness,  greed  and  ambition  are 
lined  up  for  a military  oligarchy,  and  on  the  other  liberal 
thinking,  altruism  and  a spirit  of  brotherhood  have  their  faces 
set  toward  a real  democracy.  Many  Japanese  are  finding  out 
that  their  old  religions,  Shintoism  and  Buddhism,  are  not  suited 
to  their  new  conditions.  The  worship  of  the  emperor  and  his 
ancestors,  which  seems  to  have  a stronger  popular  hold  than 
all  other  types  of  religious  devotion  put  together,  cannot  long 


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survive.  Christianity  has  not  only  not  yet  become  thoroughly 
established,  but  due  partly  perhaps  to  the  forms  in  which  it 
has  for  the  most  part  been  presented  has  not  gained  the 
following  that  in  earlier  years  was  hoped  for. 

Some  of  the  best  thinkers  fear  that  new  Japan  will  develop 
into  an  Asiatic  Prussia,  and  that  the  result  may  be  a world 
catastrophe,  centering  in  Asia,  which  will  parallel  and  perhaps 
exceed  in  horror  the  recent  world  war  in  Europe.  It  is  a time 
when  the  forces  of  righteousness  and  love  should  league  to- 
gether in  a campaign  to  prevent  the  threatening  danger. 

One  of  the  Quaker  laments  in  connection  with  the  late  war 
has  been  that  we  had  done  so  little  in  the  line  of  preventive 
measures.  One  ounce  of  preventive  love  and  foresight  is  worth 
a ton  of  remorse  and  reparation. 

What  Friends  have  done  in  Japan  is  but  a drop  in  a bucket, 
but  it  has  been  something  and  it  has  set  in  motion  spiritual 
forces  which  have  effected  results  of  such  significance  and  value 
that  it  is  worth  while,  perhaps  infinitely  worth  while,  to  at- 
tempt to  multiply^these  forces. 

We  have  read  much  lately  of  “ Quaker  outposts,”  and  Friends 
in  England  are  hoping  to  plant  them  all  over  the  world.  We 
already  have  two  such  outposts  well  established  in  Japan,  the 
first  in  the  great  city  of  Tokio  and  the  second  in  Ibaraki  Ken, 
a province  to  the  north  of  Tokio,  with  a million-and-a-half 
inhabitants,  which  other  denominations  are  leaving  largely 
to  the  influence  of  Friends.  What  we  want  and  ought  to  do  is 
to  so  man  and  equip  these  outposts  that  they  can  accomplish 
with  maximum  efficiency  the  work  set  for  them  to  do. 

The  work  of  the  eleven  American  Friends  now  stationed  as 


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missionaries  in  Japan  is  along  broad  lines.  It  does  not  aim 
merely  “to  convert  the  heathen”  and  to  build  up  a Japanese 
branch  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  but  also  and  mainly  to  set 
forth  Christian  standards  in  all  phases  of  life — political,  in- 
dustrial, intellectual,  social.  The  best  of  what  the  missionaries 
do  is  not  reducible  to  statistical  tables,  yet  they  have,  as  they 
are  bound  to  have,  a powerful  influence  in  moulding  the  ideals 
of  those  among  whom  they  live  toward  the  Christianization 
of  life. 

In  Tokio  our  work  may  be  considered  as  in  two  general 
divisions.  The  first  comprises  the  Friends’  School  for  Girls, 
a boarding  and  day  school,  planned  for  125  pupils  of  high  school 
age,  but  which  has  been  enlarged  by  encroaching  on  the  living 
. apartments  of  the  teachers  to  accommodate  150  girls.  The 
second  division  includes  the  social,  educational  and  religious 
work  for  the  neighborhood.  It  centres  in  the  meeting  with  its 
various  activities,  and  tries  to  minister  to  the  needs  of  a great 
variety  of  people,  from  little  children  of  Kindergarten  age  up 
to  the  oldest.  It  has  been  a special  concern  for  years  to  do 
something  for  the  religious  inspiration  and  help  of  the  univer- 
sity students,  with  whom  Tokio  is  swarming.  Keio  University, 
with  10,000  students,  is  less  than  five  minutes’  walk  from  the 
Friends’  Mission  compound. 

These  two  classes  of  activities  which  are  in  so  many  ways 
different  from  each  other  are  housed  on  the  same  premises, 
without  a clear  line  of  demarcation  between  the  precincts 
properly  belonging  to  each.  The  situation  is  sometimes  em- 
barrassing and  occasionally  impossible.  All  are  agreed  that  the 
Girls’  School  ought  to  be  by  itself  and  that  the  other  work 


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could  be  conducted  to  far  better  advantage  if  suitably  ac- 
commodated entirely  apart  from  the  grounds  occupied  by  the 
School. 

Fortunately  the  “lay  of  the  land”  in  the  compound  be- 
longing to  the  Friends’  Mission  is  such  that  the  two  branches 
of  our  work  may  be  entirely  separated  by  means  of  certain 
changes  and  additions. 

The  part  of  the  property  which  fronts  on  the  main  street 
and  on  which  the  old  meeting-house  stands  is  practically  on 
a level  with  the  street,  while  the  rear  half  of  the  property, 
on  which  the  school  buildings  and  the  two  mission  residences 
stand,  consists  of  ground  situated  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  higher 
than  the  front  half  of  the  lot.  This  section  is  accessible  from 
a side  street.  It  is  proposed  to  move  one  of  the  residences  to 
the  lower  level,  and  to  build  a fence  that  will  completely  cut 
off  the  school  premises  from  those  devoted  to  the  other  work 
of  the  Mission.  The  residence  left  on  the  school  grounds  will 
be  the  one  occupied  by  the  American  teachers  in  the  school, 
and  the  one  to  be  moved  will  be  that  of  Gilbert  and  Minnie  P. 
Bowles,  whose  work  is  mainly  outside  the  school. 

It  is  proposed  to  alter  the  school  buildings  and  make  some 
additions  so  that  a total  of  200  girls  can  be  accommodated, 
without  disturbing  the  living  arrangements  of  the  teachers. 
Since  the  applicants  for  admission  have  exceeded  the  accom- 
modations for  several  years  and  since  a school  of  200  can  be 
staffed  more  economically  than  one  for  125  pupils,  it  is  believed 
that  the  proposed  enlargement  is  justifiable.  The  school  is 
the  work  with  which  Friends  started  in  Japan,  and  we  want 
to  make  it  as  efficient  as  possible,  remembering  Dr.  Inazo 


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Nitobe’s  words,  “Christianity’s  greatest  gift  to  Japan  is  the 
education  of  women.” 

Money  is  in  hand  for  the  erection  of  a new  meeting-house 
to  replace  the  old  one.  There  is  need  for  a building  to  supple- 
ment the  meeting-house  and  serve  as  a sort  of  “institute,” 
“ community  house,”  or  centre  for  religious  and  social  service 
for  the  neighborhood  and  for  university  students.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  the  total  cost  of  the  changes  and  additions  neces- 
sary to  fit  our  Tokio  plant  for  the  most  effective  work,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  1 1 5,000  generously  donated  for  the  meeting- 
house, will  be  about  125,000. 

The  number  of  resident  workers  there  ought  to  be  some- 
what increased.  There  is  special  need  for  an  additional  teacher 
in  the  Girls’  School  and  for  a man  who  could  work  with  young 
men  of  the  student  class. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  needs  of  the  “country”  work  in 
Ibaraki  Ken.  A house  should  be  erected  on  land  already  be- 
longing to  Friends  for  Thomas  E.  and  Esther  Balderston 
Jones,  who  are  beginning  important  educational  and  social 
work  in  the  city  of  Mito,  the  capital  and  chief  city  of  the  ken 
or  political  district,  corresponding  to  one  of  our  States.  This 
residence  would  also  serve  as  the  nucleus  of  an  institution  or 
organization  which  it  is  hoped  may  develop  for  the  training  of 
religious  and  social  workers,  who  must  be  specially  trained  if 
they  are  to  be  very  useful,  since  the  Japanese  Christians  do 
not  have  the  background  of  home  training  and  Christian  in- 
stitutions that  we  in  this  country  have  and  perhaps  appreciate 
so  little. 

A house  must  also  be  provided  in  the  near  future  for  Herbert 


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V.  and  Madeline  W.  Nicholson,  who  feel  called  to  work  among 
the  people  of  the  smaller  towns  and  villages,  of  which  there 
are  hundreds  in  the  ken.  This  house  should  be  in  one  of  the 
larger  towns,  centrally  located  and  easily  accessible  to  the 
outlying  districts,  perhaps  at  Tsuchiura,  where  there  is  al- 
ready an  established  meeting  and  a substantial  group  of 
Japanese  Friends.  There  is  need  for  meeting-houses  and 
working  centres  in  Tsuchiura,  Shimodate  and  one  or  two  other 
villages.  The  total  cost  of  the  needed  housing  for  the  country 
work  will  approximate  $25,000. 

We  owe  it  to  Gurney  and  Elizabeth  Binford,  Edith  F. 
Sharpless  and  the  others  who  have  worked  and  are  working 
so  effectively  in  the  country  districts  that  their  physical  equip- 
ment should  be  adequate. 

More  workers,  too,  are  needed,  young  men  and  young  women 
who  feel  drawn  either  to  “social  service”  or  to  more  distinct- 
ly “ evangelistic”  work.  1 will  add  that  there  is  a great  oppor- 
tunity in  Tokio  for  a young  physician  to  take  hold  of  the 
Akasaka  Hospital,  which  was  established  by  a Friend  and 
for  many  years  has  been  assisted  by  Friends.  Though  this 
hospital  has  never  been  connected  officially  with  our  Friends’ 
Mission,  we  are  deeply  interested  in  its  continuation,  and  feel 
that  through  it  much  might  be  accomplished  in  religious  and 
social  service  under  the  direction  of  some  man  properly 
qualified  to  carry  on  and  develop  the  hospital  on  the  founda- 
tion already  laid. 

The  practical  question  is:  How  shall  we  meet  these  needs 
and  opportunities  in  Japan?  Shall  we  leave  our  faithful 
workers  there  to  struggle  on  as  best  they  can  with  their  in- 


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adequate  equipment,  the  meagreness  and  insufficiency  of 
which  prevent  the  best  demonstration  possible  of  our  Chris- 
tian ideals  and  standards,  or  will  Friends  respond  to  the  situa- 
tion in  Japan  as  generously  as  they  have  recently  been  respond- 
ing to  the  needs  in  Europe  with  their  young  people  and  their 
money?  'Are  we  going  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  behalf  of  the 
physical  needs  of  Europe  and  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the 
spiritual  needs  of  Asia?  May  we  be  so  open  and  large-minded 
that  we  shall  be  willing  to  listen  to  the  calls  of  opportunity, 
from  whatever  direction  they  come,  and  to  respond  to  them 
all  in  such  ways  as  may  be  right  for  us. 


Foreign  Missionary  Association 
OF  Friends 

20  South  Twelfth  Street 
Philadelphia 


